During its existence, the building have had big external and internal transformations. A few parts of the original structures have been replaced and some other hidden. The project idea is based on two operations: the subtraction and the compatible addition. The new building parts do not want to compete with the existing structure, but want to be in continuity. The purpose of this design is to revitalize the old building with the insertion of a new function inside. With the operation of the subtraction, both physical and conceptual, the building interior frees itself of all the unnecessary parts that hide the true framework. The original masonry framework shows itself with its thickness and weight. The internal space regains its original shape and height.
After the subtraction operation, with the second one (the compatible addition) have been added only the following three new items. - The new steel staircase. It joins, in directly way, all the building floors, by encouraging the use and the opening the building to the city. If necessary, it can be seen as an internal path that, starting from the street, crosses the building. This staircase connects the two opposite gates, arriving at the large and bright summit of the attic space, in which there is the panoramic place of for producing and tasting of the beer. - The lifts for the guests. They have been placed, two vertical objects that are recognizable in the floors, in strategic points, close to the entrances. - The thick wall. It hosts and concentrates all the services of every floor and is placed along the only blind facade of the building.
Nothing else has been built in addition to these three elements added: the internal space is continuous and free. The only necessary partitions, for functional requirements, are in glass material. The light floods the interiors and flows unimpeded by wall partitions, from the attic to the lower floors; it rains from above through the new staircase. The ancient staircase, preserved and valued, has still the representative role and the access to the institutional floor.
The lobby of “Calle Don Pedro” maintains its role of main entrance, with access to the Old Scale (institutional) and New Scale for the public, which serves the entire building. Even the secondary entrance to the public on “Calle San Francisco” bas been maintained to facilitate a direct relationship between the city and the Mahou space. A further input, on the same street is reserved exclusively to and unloading of goods. The new functions have been placed in accordance with the building's features.
The institutional area occupies, together to the meetings and offices, the large spaces of the first floor of the building. It consists of a succession of large rooms suitable to host different events. It has, through the new staircase, a direct access at the café and the micro-brewery of the above attic. The institutional area, therefore, can be completely independent but, if necessary, it can be connected to the other activities of the building. The ground floor, accessible and usable from the main lobby by the new steel staircase, is itself a continuous space, complex, fluid and suitable for exhibition purposes, thanks to the use of movable panels.
In the basement, there is the second entrance at the building from the “Calle San Francisco”. It hosts the archive spaces, distributed in several rooms connected each other, and the store that is also directly accessible from the street. At the top, the roof hosts the micro-brewery and the café. This area has been completely cleared from the internal partitions. Now it looks like a large panoramic continuous place of the city. It is characterized by the wooden frameworks of the original roof. The big height lends itself to the serial arrangement of the big beer kettle, which enrich and enliven the vast space, in continuity with the café. From this space is possible to have a nice view of the city.